


The Progress of our State of Mind

by Icce_Berry



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Betrayal, F/F, Guilt, Not as dark as it sounds!, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 03:22:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8952004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icce_Berry/pseuds/Icce_Berry
Summary: What if Stevonnie hadn't managed to save Amethyst in Crack the Whip? What if Amethyst was able to come back, but at a price...?





	1. Chapter 1

The fighting on the beach continued as Steven and Connie fought the gem monster, and they trusted Amethyst to deal with Jasper. But they looked round, and the purple gem was on her knees, then again and she was looking up at Jasper, but they couldn't do anything. They had their own problem to fight. They looked round again and a cloud of mist surrounded Jasper, and a gemstone was flying through the air.  
Time seemed to slow as Jasper's large hand grabbed the purple gem roughly, and Steven and Connie looked up as one. But time slowing doesn't mean they could move any faster, and it felt like they were insects to the great orange gem as they charged towards her. Stevonnie looked up, still running, and saw Jasper's mouth calling their friend an abomination, but they didn't hear it. All they could hear was their two hearts beating in time, drowning out any other noise.   
They would never get there in time.   
They hadn't even realised they'd fused, and still they ran across the soft sand, eyes fixed on that purple gem, and Jasper's hand clenched around it. Time seemed to speed up, and Jasper adjusted her grip and squeezed the gemstone. It didn't budge, and her expression turned to a grimace as she took a deep breath and pushed her thumb into the rock; causing a small dent, then her index finger; joining it to a crack, then her middle finger; making the gem glow somewhat as a large part of it cracked, then her fourth finger; joining up the cracks all over the surface, then Jasper looked up at Stevonnie, running to a few metres from Jasper, who held her other hand out, to stay stop.   
"I don't know what I'm waiting for, this defect should have been ground to dust as soon as she stepped from her hole on this disgusting planet."   
And with that, Jasper's pinkie finger pushed hard into a crack on the purple gem's stone, and she closed her hand into a fist. Looking up at the fusion, who stopped to a halt suddenly, she opened her hand to show her then tipped it to the side, dropping the shards, letting the incoming tide wash away some of them, and the rest mix with the sand. Stevonnie looked on in shock, and in a moment so blinded by rage that she wouldn't remember it later on, she threw her shield then sword at Jasper, not expecting an attack, who exploded into a white cloud, and a small orange gemstone was left dropping to the ground. Stevonnie resisted the temptation to crush it beneath her foot, and bubbled it without sending it to the temple.   
Tears seemed to be everywhere by the time Stevonnie reached the gems' house door. She dropped the bubbled gem next to it, and as many shards as she had been able to gather. She also left a note to Pearl, who could control sand, to see if she could find the other pieces. Not that it would matter, but out of comfort maybe.   
She stood up, not bothering to wipe away the tears, and heard the sound of footsteps within the house. She jumped off the balcony and braced her knees as she landed, and then she ran. She ran far, far into the distance. What was she running from? Well it depends on how you look at it.


	2. Turmoil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turmoil ensues in the aftermath, but with more than a glint of hope

Stevonnie only unfused after many hours. Steven was curled up in a ball, sobbing, and Connie was trying to console him while not being in a better state herself. They were in a field, having collapsed after running for so long, but they just had to think about what happened, and that's all they could do.  
Images flashed in Steven's mind. The gem in Jasper's crushing grip. The shards on the sand. Running to save his friend, but he couldn't get there in time. If only he had started to run sooner, not stood there like a rabbit in the headlights. He was just so weak, and powerless. Another sob escaped him and Connie's arms wrapped even around him in a hug.  
Amethyst was so strong to keep going all those years, and she was so funny and comforting. And Steven had to ruin all that by not saving her after all the times she had saved him.  
"Steven," Connie whispered "It's not your fault, it's Jasper's fault. Amethyst may be... gone, but we couldn't have done anything more."  
Steven didn't say anything, but rested his head on Connie's shoulder.  
"We can't keep running, we need to get home. But you know that, right?"  
Steven looked up at her and shook off the tears, and nodded, not trusting his voice after crying so much.  
They held hands, looked around for the path, and started walking.

<><><><><>

Garnet had found Pearl by the door, crying, and picked her up. She demanded to know what was wrong, but Pearl didn't need to tell her. Garnet caught sight of something outside the door, and worked out the story for herself.  
Garnet had unfused and Pearl had gone to the beach to collect shards. Sapphire was in shock really, and crying, and soon a large proportion of the temple inside had a coating of ice. Ruby was of course angry, but didn't trust herself to go near Jasper's gemstone, so it was left outside the door, and Ruby sat, simmering, in her room.  
Pearl stopped looking through the sand for a moment and a thought hit her. Sapphire sniffed and looked around as something occurred to her, and Ruby gasped. The same thought had all arrived at their minds.  
"Where's Steven?"

<><><><><>

Garnet, having found the mental energy to fuse again, slammed the door open, "I can't find him anywhere."  
Pearl sighed, she needed to know that he was safe.  
"I've found all the shards."  
Pearl said, refusing to give them a name.  
Garnet walked over and saw them all laid out on the counter. "Is there any way to...?"  
"I don't know, we never tried. Rose always said that it wasn't right so- wait, Rose! Could her healing tears have any effect?"  
Garnet was silent, and she reached up and touched her visor, removing it.  
"I don't know," and then with complete sincerity in all three eyes, "But we have to check."  
Pearl nodded and bubbled the shards, going over to stand on the warp pad, waiting for Garnet to join her. When she did, they warped to Rose's fountain and placed the bubble in the water, and then Pearl knocked it gently to pop the bubble.  
Nothing happened.  
Garnet sighed, and she turned around to leave, but Pearl still stood staring at the pool, and watching as the water pushed the shards closer together. They touched, and a purple light seemed to spew from all directions. Garnet's and Pearl's hands found each other and they waited with hope. A form appeared, the outline of a gem, yes and a small one at that.  
Clothes formed around it, and hair too, but... short hair?  
The defect purple figure fell to the ground and crouched in a fighting position. Her hands moved to the diamond salute, and her plain well fitted clothes seemed strange on the gem they knew.  
Yes, Amethyst was back, but this one wasn't the Amethyst they thought they knew.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure yet how often I'll upload, but keep an eye out here for new chapters because if I leave a story too long then I lose the flow, so updates will probably be often!


End file.
